SBIR Phase II: Dual Substrate MEMS switch

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段SBIR项目将开发MEMS电子开关的制造能力，采用新颖的双基板设计方法。该方法包括在两个基板之间划分开关元件，移动部分在上基板上，固定触点在下基板上。移动部分将由单晶硅的无应力层形成，因此不会发生翘曲或扭曲。使用两个基板允许触点在整个加工过程中完全暴露，并在基板粘合在一起形成开关之前进行清洁，从而将开关的接触电阻降至最低。由于触点是裸露的，因此在密封两个晶片之间的密封之前，可以有效地清洁触点，从而降低了结点的接触电阻。这一第二阶段的工作将把改进的设计投入批量生产，以生产比竞争对手更高的功率、更高的频率、更低的接触电阻和/或更小的占地面积开关，同时以更低的成本生产。如果成功，这里描述的方法将被用于生产MEMS悬臂式开关，适用于从直流功率处理应用到射频和雷达应用的广泛应用。由于MEMS开关具有高载流、高频、体积小、成本低等特点，可作为FET开关或微继电器的替代品，应用于广泛的器件领域。该方法也可以适用于其他类型的MEMS设备，例如传感器和致动器，其可以具有悬挂在基板上的可移动部件，该可移动部件与基板上的固定部件相互作用。因此，这种方法可能从根本上改变这些器件的制造方式，并打开目前MEMS器件没有服务的广泛应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II SBIR project will develop manufacturing capabilities for MEMS electrical switches with a novel dual substrate design approach. The approach consists of dividing the switch components between two substrates, with the moving portion on an upper substrate, and the stationary contacts on a lower substrate. The moving portion will be formed from a stress-free layer of single crystal silicon, and so has no tendency to warp or distort. Using two substrates allows the contacts to be fully exposed throughout processing, and cleaned just before the substrates are bonded together to form the switch, thereby minimizing the contact resistance of the switch. Because the contacts are exposed, they can be effectively cleaned just prior to sealing in the hermetic seal between the two wafers, thereby reducing the contact resistance of the junctions. This Phase II effort will take the improved design into volume manufacturing to produce higher power, higher frequency, lower contact resistance and/or smaller footprint switches than competing ones while being produced at lower costs. If successful, the approach described here will be used to produce MEMS cantilevered switches for a broad range of applications, from DC power handling applications to RF and radar applications. Because of their high current-carrying, high frequency characteristics with small size and low cost, the MEMS switches may serve as viable replacements for FET switches or micro relays in a wide range of devices. The approach may also be applicable to other sorts of MEMS devices, such as sensors and actuators, which may have a movable component suspended over a substrate which interacts with a fixed component on the substrate. This approach may therefore fundamentally alter how these devices are manufactured, and open up a wide range of applications not presently served by MEMS devices.